Wichita eagle., 1887-12-09
LAMAR ON THE INDIANS.

Secretary Lamar in his annual report
speaks encouragingly of the progress of
the reservation Indians on the road o..clv-
ilization. Of the 173, 800 Indians, outside
the ciyiized tribes, $4,000 wear citizens
clothes; $4,000 speak the English Ian
guage; 10,500 children are In schools,
and over 81 900 families are engaged in
industrial pursuits. They have culti-
waited over 23S, 900 acres, built over $685.
OoO rods of fencing, produced over $780,
900 bushels of wheat, $4,000 bushels OF
corn, 100000 bushels of oats, $4,000
bushels of barley and rye ,5l4. 900 bushels
of vegetables, and S3,b0O pounds of but
ter. Besides the above they
have gathered for use and
sale considerable quantities of wild rice,
berries, herbs, furs, fish, and snake root,
etc. They have sawed ,552, ,079 feet of
lumber, cut $4,000 cords of wood and
100000 tons of hay. They own over
392 900 horses, 5000 mules, 113.0O0 cat
tie, 10000 swine and 100000 sheep.
Droughts have seriously affected the
yield of their crops the past year.
These results are gratifying as indica-
tions of progress But the race has now
reached a crisis in its history. which the
secretary says must mean absolute ex-
tinction or quick entrance into the pale
of American civilization. He looks upon
the recent laws providing for the indi-
vidual ownership of land as opening the
only escape from impending extirpation.
And he well says:
The way thus opened will not be without
its difficulties, its tedious progress, its slow
success, its sufferings, disappointmentS
and failures 1t will be wholly unknown
to many of them, and few will be able to
pursue the journey alone and unaided.
The strongest and most advanced among
them are feeble indeed, to step from the
tribal customs and habits of the race TO
the individual ownership of the soil, and
the proper use of it; though many are fully
persuaded that the conditions and require
ments of the general severalty law are
favorable for their physical prosperity
moral improvement, and political advance
ment, they will assume them
with much hesitency and with
many miSgivings. They VIII
need constant encouragement, advice and
assistance. The pious men and women of
| the various religious denominations, who,
with such great self-sacrifice, have de
voted themselves to teaching the Christian
religion to this race, will find no lack of
| occasion for continuing to exercise the
| duties and labors of their humane calling
| The philantrophists who have sought by
aid and counsel to contribute to the pro
gress and advancement of the race, will
have ample field for endeavor in helping
the Indians to proper understanding and
| appreciation of their new rights and
| privileges and duties as citizens, and en-
| couraging them in the use OF the arts and
in the habits and comforts of civilized
life.
The work of allotting land is in pro-
gress among the Dakota Sioux, the Win
nebagos, Pottawatomies, Shawnees and
Crows. and to eighteen different bands
in Oregon. Authority has been granted
for allOtments to numerous other tribes.
To show how inadequate the govern
ment schools are for the needed work,
| the secretary calls attention to the fact
that there are 40, 900 children of school
age while there are only 2.2 schools
with accommodations for about 16, 100
pupils, and an average attendance of
about 10,500. The secretary wisely rec
ommends compulsory education, with
such additional appropriations as
will "enable the government TO
discharge fully not only its
treaty stipulations with the Indians, but
also its moral obligations for properly
training, mentally, physically, and NOR
ally, all of the youth among them, to
the end that they may all become self
supporting and useful citizens" The
secretary makes other excellent recon-
mendations, and gives large amount OF
interesting information in relation to the
Indians and their condition during the
year, including the various outbreaks
He places the responsibility Tor the little
Ute outbreak where it properly belonged
upon the territorial authorities. lie
announces also that the trespassers upor
the land of the mission Indians, of Cali
fornia have been removed.